Edible Gift Recipe: Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
On a recent oil and vinegar tasting, my sister went wild for a chocolate balsamic vinegar. It had a sweet, tangy, and slightly bitter taste. And it made me want to make some for her as a gift (and a little for myself, too!). Here’s how:
You can start with an inexpensive balsamic vinegar. Just cook it until it is reduced by half and has become thick enough to coat the pan. The rest is quite simple, producing a special vinegar that’s thick, slightly creamy, and perfect for drizzling over ice cream or warm fruit.
Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
Makes 16 fluid ounces
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the balsamic vinegar (yields 1 cup):
- 2 cups
balsamic vinegar
For the chocolate syrup (yields 1 cup):
- 1 cup
water
- 1/2 cup
sugar
- 2/3 cup
Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla
Instructions
For the balsamic vinegar:
Reduce the vinegar by half (from 2 cups to 1 cup) over low heat. This will take approximately 20 minutes, stirring often. The vinegar will thicken and coat its pan. Set aside to cool once reduced. If you start with a better balsamic vinegar, you can skip this step and simply use 1 cup of balsamic straight from the bottle.
For the chocolate syrup:
Dissolve sugar and salt into water. Bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce the heat to low and add cocoa, stirring until a syrup begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Set aside to cool.
Once completely cooled, mix the vinegar and chocolate syrup thoroughly and divide among four 4 oz. sterile glass bottles. I corked the bottles shut and hand-printed labels on adhesive strips to stick on over the top of each bottle for gift-giving.
(Images: Regina Yunghans)